Solaris Islands: Of childish thoughts and promises
by Himizu
Summary: A collection of one shots from my story, the Solaris Islands. Purely OC, no Mary sues I don't think. Read and Review, but flames are Uchiha specialty, leave it to them. T for violence and adult themes.
1. Alaida : Demons

**A/N: Hey there! Lizy here! This is the first in my collection of one shots for each of Team Solaris, plus some others if I can think of them. Imi has no part in this one, as she is too busy with real life situations to write for now. I will also be taking of the the main Soralis story until she can come back and write some more. I have already discussed this with her.**

**Anyway, enjoy the first chapter. The rest will be posted as I add them!**

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**Alaida: Demons**

One small, brown haired child watched her parents arguing, their angry, hurt voices echoing throughout the house and her head, her tartan companion at her side, "head" rearing up like an interested snake.

"I've told you once, I've told you a million times, the seal is safe! I made it myself! I really should know, so why don't you believe me?!"

"Because it wasn't you who _used_ the seal! I trust you honey, but the way you taught that man was so rushed, and I understand why given the situation, but it may not have been done right!"

"Why can't you trust me?!"

"Why can't you believe _me_?!"

"Mama? Papa?" came a small, timid voice from the door. Both adults whipped round. In the doorway was their daughter, protectively surrounded by her floating scarf, which raised it's "head" curiously at them. "Why're you fightin'?" she mumbled sleepily, causing both parents to glance at the clock.

"Honey, it's 11 at night, why are you up?" her mother enquired, nearing her daughter, but evading the scarf carefully, which had raised it's head higher and was swaying slightly, like a snake rearing to bite.

"You're noisy…" the child muttered, rubbing one eye with a small hand, using the other to pull down the threatening scarf. Said item muttered something unintelligible and probably rude before settling down.

The adults shared guilty looks. "We're sorry darling." said Papa, kneeling down to his daughter's height, though she was still a head smaller than him, and putting his hands on her tiny shoulders. He, unlike Mama, showed no fear of the scarf. "You go back to bed now, okay?" he smiled reassuringly at her. His daughter, however, pouted and turned away.

"I'm not going until you tell me why you're fighting so I can make it better." she stated with all the logic of a 5 year old. The scarf took this signal and wrapped itself round a nearby door handle. Both parents looked at each other and sighed. The father straightened.

"A special child turns 2 tomorrow…" her father began. "That is the day when the Solaris Counsel decides what her future will be… but…" he sighed at trailed off, glancing at his expectant daughter before he continued. "This child has a terrible burden to handle. She has a demon sealed inside her body, much like Rufus is sealed within your scarf there." he motioned to the scarf, who wiggled at the sound of his name. The daughter blinked.

"Why were you arguing about something like that?" she enquired, tilting her head like a confused puppy. He father shot a look over his shoulder at his wife.

"Mama doesn't trust my ability to make seals." he said slowly. The woman huffed indignantly.

"It's not that I don't trust you, it just I….it wasn't you who sealed it away, and it is a very powerful demon…" she trailed off, her face haunted with memories of destruction. Papa shook his head.

"You see, I couldn't be the one to seal it away, I'm too old, there isn't enough life energy in me to put away something that big." he sighed. "You see Alaida-chan, the demon was sealed away by a close friend of mine, the father of this girl." his eyes turned sad. "He died keeping the village safe. He's a hero." Alaida nodded, in awe, then stopped, raising an eyebrow.

"Why'd I only just know now?" she asked curiously. Papa massaged his temples.

"The counsel decided it would be best to keep this a bit of a secret, most especially from the little girl." he said sadly, looking mournfully off into the distance. "She lives on a little island west of the water island, where her mother lives, all alone mostly." Alaida gasped.

"Why can't her mama see her?" she whispered. The man smiled ruefully.

"Oh, trust me, she wants to." he muttered. "But the counsel will only allow one visit a year in case the "demon poisons her mind" or something stupid like that." he laughed bitterly. "I told them my seal was brilliant, genius, but no…" he sighed, disappointed. "It appears they have the same mindset as your mother." At this Alaida's mama sent a piercing glare at her husband.

"I don't want her all alone like that! She can have her mother, just be under supervision at all times…" she huffed and turned away from them. Alaida stood up, her scarf unwrapping itself from the doorknob.

"I think she should be able to do what she likes!" she declared. "I walk around with Scarfy all the time and nobody cares! Why should they care about this!" she frowned and crossed her arms. "Well, they're stupid, and I'm going to bed. Goodnight!" she then proceeded to stop up the stairs, her steps echoing until she slammed her bedroom door so hard it made the floor shake a little.

Silence…

"…You know, this means I win…"

"Oh, shut up."

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**Lizy: How was that?**

**Alaida: Wai! I was so adorable back then!**

**Scarf: I liked you better when you were small and cute. And quiet.**

**Alaida: Oh shut up.**

**Scarf: You sound like your mother. Stupid woman.**

**Alaida: SHUT UP ABOUT MY MUM! Stabs Scarfy**

**Lizy: Uh... see ya next time!**

See that little drop down menu? The one that says review? Click on it, come on, humor me.


	2. Naida : Angels

**Naida: Angels.**

They're back again. The tormenters. Here just to make her life more of a misery than it already is.

Demon.

Monster.

Freak of nature.

Loser.

Die!

"No no no no!"

So she runs, she runs far, far away from the jeering and the pain and the horrid, horrid looks. Before she knows it she's not even on the ground anymore, not bothering to try and stay close to the ground or even to look normal anymore. It seems apparent to people she's not anyway, so why pretend? Now she's over the ocean, and the taunting crowd gives up chase.

She relaxes and lies on her back, staring at the endless blue of the sky, before flipping and staring at the deep azure of the ocean beneath her. She flies down to skim her tiny fingers across the surface of the cool water, the only thing on ground level that she can ever touch, watching the ripples fade away. She slows down and looks at her reflection in the blue mirror below her.

Fuzzy outlines of red bird wings are visible behind her, stretched out to allow for flight. She sighs and reaches up to touch them, her hand passing harmlessly through them, a odd tickling sensation of warmth running up and down her arm as her entire hand catches fire, but does not burn. Laying on her back once more and holding her alight hand up to watch the flames burn harmlessly out leaving not a single mark, she nearly forgets she's flying in a certain direction. Speeding up and flying skyward, she surveys the stretch of land she's come to.

The long stretch of sand is almost a blinding yellow, reflecting the light of the midday sun. Various brightly coloured villages spotted here and there give the impression of every day being a part time for this island. Around the edges, near the water's edge are clumps of tropical trees, as well as clustered around a couple of oasis's and in the villages. She dives towards the island, keeping out of sight of the villages for fear of the few citizens here who truly hate her.

Finally, she finds her special spot. In the single biggest tree in the most secluded part of the island she comes to rest. There are few solid things her feet can touch, but a living tree is one of them. She sits in the highest branches, concealed by the leaves and watches the animals on the ground below.

Except they weren't there.

"Eh?" she muttered aloud. Maybe something scared them off. It couldn't have been her, the animals were too used to her to be scared any more. Some of the birds even ate out of her hands! What happened she wondered.

"Hey!"

"Woah!!" Naida nearly fell out of her branch at the sudden voice. She whipped round to see a girl with short brown hair and eyes like fresh grass staring at her with awe. That in itself was odd, as most people stared at her out of some kind of fear or hate, but what was even more weird about this girl was that her scarf, her_ scarf_ of all things, moved _on it's own!_ The girl's face turned red and a huge grin spread across her face, threatening to vanish into her ears.

"Ohmigosh how did you do that?!" she suddenly cried, jumping up with amazing grace into one of the branches above her. Naida blinked. What? No rock throwing? No running away? No angry glares? Not even an insult? "Ano, hey, are you deaf or something?" Ah, there it was. But it wasn't spiteful. How odd. She supposed she'd better answer.

"Umm…" she said quietly. "W-well, I kinda just … do it? It's sorta natural…like breathing!" she smiled at her example. The girl, however, looked disappointed.

"Awwww maaaaaan!" she hopped down from the branch, landing next to Naida. "I wanted to fly too! I mean, you looked just like an angel! Anyway, I'm Alaida, who are you?" she grinned at her. Naida blinked at such the upfront address and the closeness of the girl, though they were really about a foot away from each other. Naida couldn't really remember the last time someone was this close with friendly intention. Nor could she remember the last time anyone had attributed her flight to something nice, much less something as holy as an angel.

"I-I'm Naida…" she stuttered out, wishing she could shift away and cursing the fact she had sat right next to the tree trunk. Alaida grinned and jumped up, causing the branch they were both standing on to shiver and creak with ill intent. Naida sweatdropped.

"Ano… I wouldn't do that if I were you…" she said slowly as the branch creak ever more under the weight and sudden movement. Alaida blinked.

"Do wha-AAH!!" she cried sharply as the branch gave way under the stress with a mighty groan. Naida and Alaida fell tumbling to the ground. Alaida was screaming, reaching for the branch, unused to the feeling of free fall. But Naida's stomach adjusted first and she righted herself and grabbed her new friend, flying them to a lower, sturdier branch. The two sat there for a while, panting. Alaida's scarf started to wiggle again. Naida blinked at it, catching Alaida's attention to the same source.

"Oh, this is Scarfy." Alaida breathed out, like nothing had happened. The scarf reared it's "head" and Naida could make out something of a face in the stitching pattern. The face appeared screwed up in concentration, as though trying to remember something.

"AHAH!" it suddenly cried, making Naida jump back a bit. She didn't know it could talk… "I KNEW I recognised that chakra!" it did some sort of victory wiggle before giving Naida a sort of familiar look. "Still, didn't expect to find you there…" he trailed off, leaving both girls looking confused.

"Um, what?" Naida enquired to Alaida, who shrugged.

"I have no idea what he's on about…" Alaida shook her head. "He says weird stuff all the time though, so better not to listen." Naida nodded.

"No no! You stupid girl, this is the girl your parents were talking about!" Scarfy shouted suddenly, tightening around Alaida's neck and effectively strangling her. Alaida forced him loose before the words sunk in. She stared at Scarfy, then at Naida.

Naida had gone cold. Oh no, not again. Why was it that every time she found someone new they suddenly realised who she was? Now Alaida would run away screaming or crying to her mother or father. She waited for the inevitable… but it didn't come.

"Oh." was all Alaida said. Naida stared at her, fascinated. This girl was probably one of the weirdest people she had ever met. She was blunt, had a weird moving scarf, irresponsible, forward and really happy. Most of all, she wasn't even afraid of her at all.

And that's when Naida decided she liked her.


	3. Takumi : Humans

**Hey! Lizy here again! More one shots. This one's for Takumi and takes place on the night his family was attacked. Excuse my use of the English language, For you Americans out there, one part may confuse you. For future reference: Bangs fringe in English.**

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Takumi - Humans

The bustling nurses and doctors around him did nothing to ease his increasing headache. Childish hands clutched a mug of warm tea, an over sized blanket draped over his small form. He usually liked tea, not to the point of obsession, but enough. But now his stomach refused to take anything within it's empty hollows, liquid or solid. His long, dirty brown fringe hung down, obscuring his eyes, though not the tears that rolled down his cheeks.

He supposed he'd never drink his tea. It would be too salty now anyway. The teardrops distorted his reflection as they hit the surface of the beverage.

For a split second he saw another man's face in the reflection.

He sourly emptied the tea in a nearby plant pot.

At the shouting of a few urgently rushing nurses, he looked up. A woman was convulsing on a hospital bed, crying out in her delirium and thrashing out at unseen horrors. Many tried to hold her down, but again she screamed and again.

"TAKUMI!"

The boy ran.

Out of that horrible place of death and dying, into the cold rain, loosing the oversized blanket, revealing blood soaked clothes.

The blood wasn't his.

He came to a slow stop under a tree, he couldn't breathe. There was so much rain, and for a moment, as lightning arched across the sky, the water turned to the red life blood of his family.

Screaming with the roar of thunder, Takumi collapsed into the sodden mud as the tree above him exploded into a thousand flames.

So be it, let him die here. His family was probably gone, his sister was missing, his mother driven half mad and his father…

He stared blankly up at the flames as they hissed and rebelled at the rain, one or two being snuffed out by the torrential downpour. Takumi supposed humans were much like fire. A sudden flare, then before you know it, it's gone, snuffed out, you can't bring that same flame back again. Just like that. Gone. Only a very small indication it was ever there at all, if any, and eventually that would disappear as well.

How pointless.

There was a cracking sound as the branch above him detached and began to fall. This was it. This was the end. How he would go.

It was taking too long.

Takumi opened his eyes, surprised he had closed them. He wasn't surrounded by fire anymore, just the dull grey rain. And a boy. One Takumi was rather familiar with.

"Rai.." he muttered, his voice hoarse. The boy had his back to him, but Takumi was sure it was him. He didn't know any other blond boys who's hair stuck up like that even when it was wet. Rai was watching the burning tree and took his time before he spoke.

"I heard what happened." he said quietly, barely audible over the thunder. Takumi watched the flames on the tree die with him. "I'm sorry." Rai added. There was silence. This was all quite different from the usual Rai, all loud and hyper.

Takumi was grateful.

"Why?" he questioned into the empty silence. "I was ready to-"

"Far too many lives ended tonight." Rai cut across him. "You will not join them." He turned and gave Takumi a very stern look. Understanding passed from electric blue eyes to dull grey. Takumi looked away, the tears welling up again even as he willed them to go away.

"It hurts… so much…" he sighed after a long while. Rai stared at the last embers of the tree, almost longingly.

"Yeah…" he muttered at last. "I know…"

The rain stopped and the sun broke through the slightest gap in the grey mass. It was all peaceful once more as the dust of the tree was carried away by the wind.

Takumi wondered bitterly how long it would last.

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**Lizy: Awww, cheer up Takumi-kun!**

**Takumi: I refuse. Also, you'd better start running because I did not give you permission to write about this.**

**Lizy: Ehehehe, you're just kidding right Takumi kun? Takumi kun? Put the pointy thing down... what are you doing with those handseals? Ahhh! HELP! HEEEEELP!**

**Rai: Uh... Review please? Click the little button down there. Go on. You know you want to...**


	4. Hatako : Animals

**Newest chapter here people! Get it while it's hot!**

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**Hatako : Animals**

Seeing a tall, thin boy ploughing in a field, while he may not be older than 12 is not very out of the ordinary. His home island on which he is working is dedicated to agriculture and animal life after all.

No, what was out of the ordinary about this was that the child was ploughing… without a plough.

He pushed something invisible along in front of him, parting the turned earth like a great sea. His face showed deep concentration, beads of sweat were running down his face, his dark hair plastered against his head and green eyes squinting through the heat haze of the late autumn day sun beating down on the land.

He reached the end of the field and let out a deep, long sigh. Stumbling over to the shade of a great oak in the corner of the field, he collapsed near the trunk, wiping the moisture from his forehead. It was definitely hard work, ploughing using only his chakra. However, this, his sensei said, was the only other way to help him gain better control over his chakra. He preferred taijutsu anyway, but no. Ah, it had to be done anyway. Why not multitask? Picking up the water carton he had discarded there earlier, he drenched himself in it's contents.

"Tch, what a waste of water."

The boy on the ground lazily looked up at the source of the sound, seeing exactly who he thought he would.

"Yo, Takumi."

"Chuck that up here would you?" asked the boy. It was actually more of a demand than a request, but the heat of the late autumn was enough to make any non-natives to the climate cranky.

"Sure." he shrugged and tossed the half full carton up to his companion, who caught it with practiced ease. There was a short silence with only the twittering of birds and the sound of Takumi gulping down the water heartily filling the gap.

"Why do you even bother Hatako?" asked Takumi wearily. Hatako looked up at the long haired boy in the tree above him. He was staring at the field blankly, but his face was mostly like that whatever mood he was in these days. There was an over-stuffed backpack on the branch next to him. Hatako sighed.

"Responsibility." he replied at last. Takumi looked down at him with a raised eyebrow. "I have a duty to my island, as you do to yours, to protect it and try to make it and it's inhabitants flourish." Takumi frowned, clearly not getting it. "I have to do this kind of thing to help those who can't help themselves. That is my responsibility, as it has been since all five of us took that vow all those years ago, in front of those graves."

Takumi nodded, though he was still frowning. Hatako smiled. "See that bird over there?" he pointed to a black bird perched on the fence opposite them. Takumi nodded again, though a bit confused. "She has to get food or she will die. One of the first reasons I plough the field is so I can upturn some nice juicy worms for her to eat." he looked up at Takumi. "One of my responsibilities is to make sure the animals on this island don't die out and the ecosystem isn't upset by the human activity. Her responsibility is to make sure her family lives. You follow?" Takumi nodded a final time. "So it is for us to all be responsible in different ways. Like taking care of our families, especially our _distressed_ and _easily frightened_ mothers and our _vulnerable_ younger siblings. He put emphasis on each key word and enjoyed the way Takumi's eye twitched as he glared at him. He jumped out of the great oak and landed gracefully beside Hatako, swinging his bag over his shoulder.

"Yeah, yeah, I get it. Geez, I'm not Alaida, no need to spell it out for me." he took a deep breath in and let it out slowly, a small smile forming on his face. "I'll go back. Thanks Hatako." he turned and showed his older friend his rare and grateful smile.

"Any time…" smiled Hatako to the empty space where Takumi had been seconds before, letting his words be carried away by the winter winds.

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**Aww Sweet! Reveiws are love!**


	5. Rai : Mortality

**This one's my fave out the the lot, and because I was bored, I've decided to write and extra chapter.**

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**Rai : Mortality.**

As he sat and waited for the storm to roll in from his perch in an old abandoned church tower, he supposed Takumi was right in a way, about how fleeting human life was. But Rai reckoned that life, in general, not just humans, was much more like lightning than fire.

Or maybe he was just biased towards his namesake.

While fire might burn for a while and then go out, it could be captured and made to last longer. But life was nothing like that. The harder you tried to hold onto it the easier it got to lose it. Far more like lighting, in his opinion.

Yes life was more like his element, Rai thought as he watched yet another thunder storm creep ever closer, the lightning arching across the dark mass of cloud, counting the seconds before the thunderous boom would be heard.

5 seconds between the light and the sound, 5 miles.

Life was fleeting, like lightning, impossible to grasp, only to shine brilliantly for a few moments before vanishing back into the inky darkness of the night storm. Those who try to contain it and recreate it artificially only got muted results. Those who tried to grab it by force got a nasty shot and a lot of pain for their trouble.

Fleeting, but it still left it's mark.

3 seconds. 3 miles.

He could smell the moisture in the air. This storm would be spectacular. Rai had no idea when he had first started watching storms. He mostly liked to entertain the idea that he had first done it from his crib as a baby when his bed was close to the window. Being the son of the ruler of the Solaris Islands had it's ups and downs though. His parents disliked his love of storms, mostly for the fear he would some day get lost in one and never come back.

Did he mention his parents were stupid?

1 second, 1 mile.

Rai jumped and gasped in excitement as a great flash of forked lightning raced across the sky. Clapping and grinning glee, he waited eagerly.

The roar of thunder sounded above him and he could feel the air tense in anticipation.

Rai braced himself against the tower of the crumbling building, hoping his makeshift lighting rod would hold out against the intense power.

Strike!

The deafening crack of lightning descending from the heavens was awe inspiring. Rai's trained eyes could only just follow the path of pure energy that raced earthwards, towards and then down his conductor. The ensuing explosion nearly made Rai fall out of his hidey-hole in the derelict church. With a grin on his face that vanished clean into his ears, he slid down the rope at such a speed that he rolled a few meters after hitting the ground. He stood and stared at the cared remains of the little carved person he had placed at the bottom of the lightning rod he had asked Hatako to make.

Oh yes, life, like lightning, was fleeting. But it would never be underestimated in it's power. One strike could change everything.

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**Review! It feeds my little writer's sooooul!**


	6. Shichibi and Scarf: Immortality

**Here's a bonus chapter, because I love you guys!

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**Bonus chapter!**

**Shichibi and Scarfy : Immortality.**

It is known to very few people that Naida lets the Shichibi have relatively free reign of her body while she sleeps.

Nobody really questions why an 11 year old girl is up in the pouring rain in the middle of the night, fling with relative ease through the storm, dancing around the lighting bolts and yelling happily with the thunder. She twists and turns and enjoys the brief freedom from her cage. She'd have to give the girl's body a wash before she woke up, but right now her mind was on other things.

It was time to talk to an old friend.

Making her way to a usually bright island, turned brown and dark with the rain, she goes into a dive towards one of the bigger villages, briefly racing a thunder strike. It beat her, of course, but such things really didn't bother her any more. She could deal with being weak.

As long as she didn't think about it for too long.

She perched like the bird of prey she once was on the open window sill of a young girl. She slept in the bed by the window peacefully, the wind preventing the rain from entering her room. She was still wearing her scarf, which was curled up like some kind of snake on her pillow.

"Go away, birdy bitch." mumbled the sleepy scarf. "Not all of us are nocturnal."

"Oh really now, is that any way to address your superiors?" she smirked as she preened. The scarf immediately raised it's 'head', the stitching re-arranging itself into a glaring face.

"Superior my ass."

"You don't have one, you're a scarf."

"Shut up."

Shichibi chuckled quietly. "Now, now, let's not wake little 'Laida." she shushed him with a smirk. The scarf turned away in a huff.

"Let her wake, I don't care." He muttered sulkily, though by all accounts he really didn't want her up. She'd be hyper all day if she woke up this early. Shichibi tutted and sat down facing out of the room on the window ledge, her face suddenly serious.

"They'll be coming soon." she said quietly.

"I know…" sighed Scarfy. "What are we going to do? If people get caught in the cross fire we're going to get it…" he stretched one of his loose threads to indicate the sleeping girl and then to Shichibi. "Especially these two. And their friends. And all those other special kids out there…" Shichibi sighed at looked out at the rain.

"We'll have to arrange something to get them out of here. Try to get to a safe place. Loose the pursuers." she muttered, mostly to herself.

Silence.

"You know, if they die while we're still attached to them…"

"We die too, I know."

"Is there anything you don't know, oh great tartan one?"

"How this will turn out."

Shichibi snorted and looked down from the 5th story window. "Aren't we supposed to be immortal Rufus? Aren't we supposed to be all knowing demons?" she said sadly, almost disgusted with herself. "I don't feel very all knowing. Or immortal."

"It's kinda hard to be kept in the loop of demon knowledge when you're sealed, ne?" he chuckled bitterly. Alaida stirred.

Shichibi scowled at the falling rain, the sky as clear as the future ahead.

"Pfft, immortality. What a joke."

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**AAAAAAAAND I'M DONE!**

**I need some sleep. Good night!**


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